Apparatus for drying grain.



G. STAUNTON.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING GRAIN. APPLICATION FILED AUG.419I3. RENEWED JUNE 12. me.

Patent-ed Jan. 16, 1917.

' kiwi 1 s ims GRAY STATTNTON, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING GRAIN.

Application filed August 4. 1913. Serial No. 782.763. Renewed June 12. 1916.

'1?) r! whom. if may conccrn lie it known that I. (buy S'rarx'ros. a. citizen of the l'nitcd States. residing at l\luskegon. in the county of l\luskegon and State of .\lichigan. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying (train. of which the following is a spccilication.

The salient object of my invention is to provide an improved apparatus for drying and otherwise treating grain and other granular like material.

l\lore specific objects of my invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawing forming a part of this specification. wherein Figure 1 is an elevation. showing parts in section. of the grain containers and connected devices comprising my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view. part in section. of the air admitting nozzles. Fig. 3 is an elevation of same.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

My invention contemplates a plurality of containers. such as (i and T. of which there may be any suitable number. The containers are preferably made in multiple ilupli'i cate or, they may be said to be substantially duplicates of each other.

Each container consists. preferably. of a closed cylinder 8. The cylinder is preferably made of sheet metal sulliciently strong to withstand at least 15 pounds atmospheric pressure from v ithout and each cylinder is provided with an inclined reticulate or otherwise perforate bottom 10.

In the upper head 5 is a door 11 hinged. as at 12. and arranged to be clamped tightly in place by a latch 13. The door may be provided with suitable yielding gaskets to render the closure substantially air tight. The screw 14 is a means for exerting pres sure upon the door to produce and preserve intimate contact between the surfaces of the opening in the body part and the gasket carried by the door 11. The discharge opening is located below and on the opposite side of the cylinder, has a similar door 15, hinged as at 16, and provided with a latch 17 having a screw 18. The opening which this door closes is located with its bottom edge substantially on a line with the plane of inclined perforate bottom 10 so that Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1193?.

Serial No. 103,345.

the grain. or other finely divided granular substances or materials may flow from the receptacle through the door opening. which is normally closed by the door 15. The door is shown open and the grain shown tlow ing from the receptacle 7.

19 is a spout from which the grain flows for deposit in the receptacle. it is in'nnediately over the opening closed by the door 11 in the head f and when material is deposited in the receptacle. through the door 11, which is immediately above the highest side of the incline. the material will settle so as to be substantially uniformly thick. shown in the drawing. and will not pile up upon one sideor the other so that the. heated dry air. which is to pass through the substance. will pass uniformly through the entire deposited mass.

Located in the receptacle. below the bottom 10, is a steam coil 20. preferably of inverted cone shape. so as to provide sullicient space below said coil for admission of air. The pipe 21 brings the steam to the coils of the various receptacles from which it is conveyed by suitable branches to thecoils 20 of the respective receptacles and returned through the connecting pipes 3'2 to the genem return pipe 23. thermometer ll is employed for ascertaining the temperature of the steam that passes through this air heating system.

One of the peculiarities of my system is the means by which the air is admitted within the outer annular space below the steam coil 20 and below the inclined bottom '10. so as to provide even distribution thereof, which means consists of one or more cruciform fittings provided with nozzles 2c each of which is provided with a plurality of discharge openings :37 so as to project the air in different directions to produce whirls and to uniformly till the space. Fig. 2 shows that there are four such triple nozzles within the space below the heating coil. Each of the nozzles is connected by a pipe 28 to a central cruciform fitting 29. The nozzles lie within the annular space below the largest convolutions of the steam coil 20, and within the receptacle. The total area of the orifices or openings 27 in the nozzles is less than the area of the suction pipe required to draw the air. or other fluid from the receptacle, so as to produce more or less of a vacuum tendency within said receptacles.

An exhaust pump, or pressure fan 31, is

connected with the pipe 30 through the condenser 32. An electric motor 33 is connected in driving relation with the exhaust pump 31 by means of a belt or chain 3 1.

The pipe 30 is connected to a coil 35 within a water receptacle 0r cylinder 36. ater is admitted into the said cylinder by means of a water pipe 37 and escapes therefrom by the overflow pipe 38, therefore the coil 35 is constantly submerged in water. The coil 35 discharges into a closed cylinder or tank 39 from which the condensed moisture, discharged t'rom the coil 35 into said tank, may be drawn off by means of the faucet or cock 40. A water gage glass 41 indicates the quantity of Water contained within the tank. The pump 31 is connected to the top of the tank 39 by means of apipe 42.

Each of the branch exhaust pipes 30 ,is controlled by means of a valve 43 so that any one or any number of the tanks may, at any. time, be brought into operation by the use of this valve.

Thermometers 44 show the temperature at which the air leaves the reservoir 5, (i or 7. An air inlet pipe l5 is connected to the central fitting 29 of the nozzle structure and is controlled by a valve 46.

The operation of the dexice so far described is as' follows: /Vhen the exhauster 31 pumps the air from the receptacles 5, 6 and 7, through the connecting pipes and other instrumentalities, a more or less vacuum iscreated within the respective receptacles and air will enter the pipes 15 through the noz- U zles 26, and under the heat coils 20'. it is fassumed that heat has been. admitted into the respective coils 20, and therefore the air will be heated as it passes through the convolutions of said coils and it will then be drawn througlrthe grain deposited upon the inclined bottoms. 10 into the pipe 30 and finally into the coil of the condenser Any moisture that has been taken up by the air, while passing through the deposit of grain, will be condensed in the coil 36 of the condenser and any foreign matter that may be carried over from such deposit will be carried through the connecting pipe 48 into the water tank 39, the condensed water, and such other material, will pass into this tank and the air will be carried through the pipe 42 into the pump 41 and exhausted therefrom.

A continuation of this operation will serve to dry out any moisture that is contained in the material deposited in the tanks 5, 6 or 7., or any one of them that maybe at the time. in operation.

It may be advisable t' pass the air through similar devices for the purpose of charging it with some chemical, gas or fluid,

to cleanse it or otherwise to change its quality and therefore I provide, for each of the receptacles 5, 6 and. 7, generally similar receptacles a, 6 and 7 that may, in every essential particular, be the same as the receptacles which I have heretofore described or they may be larger or smaller as the case may require.

Instead of depositing grain or other materials to be treated, substantially as shown in receptacles to which reference has been made I may deposit materials, such as chlorid of lime 47, and pass the heated air through said chlorid of lime to further dry it before it enters the receptacles immediately above to be then passed through the grain. The material 47 may be varied in character to suit circumstances as the air may be made to thus pass through sulfur -or other bleaching and disinfecting substance, betore it is admitted into the grain drying receptacle.

The same distribution of air under the inclined bottoms 10 and 10', takes place in both receptacles so that the attenuation at all points, below the material. maintained within the respective receptacles, will be uniform therefore the air drawn into the receptacles will be brought into contact with the entire heating surface of the coils 20 and 20, respectively.

apparatus may be employed for many and varied uses, and gases, vapors and the like may be caused to enter the receptacles.

through the nozzles 26, pipes 28 and 45, instead of air.

The closing of the valve'43 will shut off any one of the receptacles from the system and materials may be drying or going through other processes in the other receptacles while the one shut off is being emptied of its charge and in this manner each of the receptacles may be employed Without interrupting or afiecting the operation of the associate receptacles.

After the grain, or other material, has received proper treatment in the receptacle the door 15 is opened as shown With reference to receptacle 7 and the material is allowed to pass out under the influence of gravity into the hopper 50 and the spout 51 until the receptacle has been properly emptied after which other material may be admitted into the receptacle so discharged, by opening door 11 and permitting the ma terial to pass through the spout 19 thereinto substantially as it was filled in the first place, and by this means large quantities of material may be rapidly treated uninterruptedly without interfering with the operation of any of the other apparatus of the' system. p

" 'A vacuum gage 52 may be employed in each of the receptacles for the purpose of indicating the extent of rarefaction. This.

While I have herein shown a single exemplification of myinvention for the purpose of clear disclosure it is evident that changes may he made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my inventioin what l. claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described. comprising: a cylindrical tight receiver. having: closable receiving and discharge openings and a plurality of tlnid injecting nozzles. in said receiver. each of which is adapted and arranged to project a fluid radially and angentially with respect to said receiv r. tocrcate a series o'l whirls therein. 7

An apparatus of the character described, comprising an air tight materials receiver hav ng closable receiving and discharge openings: a perforate bottom dividing said receiver into a materials chamber and a heating.chamher; a plurality of airinjecting nozzles in the heating chamber, adapted to project the air in various directions to equalize the attenuation in said chamber and a heating coil interposed between said nozzles and bottom.

3. An apparatus of the character described. comprising an air receiver, having closable receiving and discharge openings: a perforate bottom dividing said receiver into a materials chamber and a heating chamber; a heating coil in the form of an inverted cone in said heating: chamber; and air injecting nozzleswithin the space under the largest diameter of said coil and means to exhaust said receiver.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

GRAY STAUNTON.

In the presence of- N. T. THOMSON, W. C. Nurses.

tight materials 

